Halloween does not have to break the bank. Here are three ways to save
Candy:
- Use coupons from local circulars. Pharmacies, groceries stores, and box stores like Wal-Mart will offer savings right before October 31.
- Shop in bulk at warehouse clubs like Sam’s Club or Costco.
- Buy less expensive candy like hard candies or gummy bears for savings, but if you want to buy chocolate, buy bags of miniature candy bars. You can also mix chocolate with cheaper candy to make it last longer for less.
- If you have left over candy, make it useful by donating it to a homeless shelter or hospital. Make Christmas decorations out of it. Put glitter on hard candies and wire wrap them for tree ornaments, or make a candy tree buy gluing candies on a Styrofoam cone. You can also use left over candy to cook. Put candies in brownie mix for new treats or use left-over candy as toppings on vanilla ice cream.
Costumes:
- Thrift stores are great places to buy costumes for less.
- Have a swap with friends who have children in the neighborhood.
- Parenting Magazine at parenting.com has creative patterns for making costumes from the simple sandwich boy to a more sophisticated goldfish.
Decorations:
- Partycheap.com and other on-line sites have good discounts on holiday decorations.
- Halloween Alliance has great craft ideas that will server as decorations. There are the knitted snake den and Halloween mobiles.
- You can simply be creative with household things. Make ghosts from tissue paper. One tissue balled up for a head and another wrapped over it and tied over the ball is quick, easy, and inexpensive. Martha Stewart also has a great idea. Cut black garbage bags into strips, not cutting all the way through to the sealed end. Then open the bag up to make it twice as wide and hang in a doorway for a spooky entrance.
Personalized Gifts